Oranges By Gary Soto

Think/Pair/Share Oranges - SHARE

About the Lines This walk was a defining moment in this boy’s journey to adulthood. He knew that the girl’s house was “the one whose/Porch light burned yellow/Night and day.” This shows he had been dreaming about her for some time. When the boy asked the girl what she wanted at the store, he showed maturity. By the end, the boy remembers he was more confident and “...took my girl’s hand.” Like the lady in the store, readers know that this is all about first love.

Between the Lines “Oranges” is a narrative poem. Narrative poems tell a story. These poems have characters, settings, and a plot. Soto uses colourful descriptions to paint a picture. The reader can see the girl’s “face bright/With rouge” and can see the orange “so bright against/The gray of December.” Soto also uses similes. “Fog hanging like old/Coats” and “candies/Tiered like bleachers,” are examples of similes. He uses onomatopoeia or words that imitate the sounds they name, like “cracking” and “hissing.”

What do you think the Orange symbolizes? The orange is bright against the grey December day, the oranges represent happiness and light. In the end, oranges are a vivid image of the fire of love that burns in the speaker’s heart.

In your opinion... In your opinion, what is more timeless, love or friendship? Is friendship an essential part of love? Explain your answer.